Mark Ruffalo and Kumail Nanjiani To Star In The True American

The Tracking Board reports that Mark Ruffalo and Kumail Nanjiani are in early talks to star in the drama The True American. It will be directed by Pablo Larrain for Annapurna Pictures. Kathryn Bigelow, who was originally set to direct (with Tom Hardy and Riz Ahmed starring), will now produce with Megan Ellison, Matthew Budman and Juan de Dios Larraín. It’s based on the nonfiction book by Anand Giriharadas called The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas. The book was published in 2014 by W.W. Norton & Company.

The story is set in Texas days after 9/11. It follows Rais Bhuiyan (Nanjiani), a Muslim immigrant and Bangladesh Air Force veteran who is the victim of a deadly hate crime. He later advocates for mercy for his attacker, the “Arab-slayer” Mark Stroman (Ruffalo), who was set to be executed.